Boyd C. Worley, Jr. the Skagway community's "Large-in-Charge" died onSeptember 27, 2013. Worley had been home recovering from a collapsedartery in his quadruple by-pass in August. In the words of one of his care-givers, "His heart of gold just wore out." What follows are Boyd's obituary by Mike Sica and the Worley family and a selection of tributesand memories spoken at his Celebration of Life that was attended by morethan 400 people at the Skagway School gym on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013.

Great things do happen on 9-11.Boyd Conrad Worley, Jr. was born on September 11, 1940 in Buchanan,Virginia and was raised in Richmond. He had one younger brother, Thomas and four sisters, Peggy, Cookie, Doris and Kitty. Boyd graduated from Thomas Dale High School in June 1968. He joined the U.S. Air Force in January 1959 and was Honorably Discharged on June 06, 1966. In 1963, Boyd attended the Yale University Institute of Far Eastern Languages studying Mandarin Chinese. He went on to complete a four-year course in nine months. While in New Haven, Connecticut, he met a beautiful young woman named Jean Nakamura. Jean was in Connecticut studying to be a teacher. The day Boyd approached Jean was July 10, 1963, which happened to be her birthday. That night Boyd and Jean went to a movie. After leaving the theater and passing a row of jewelry stores, Boyd asked Jean: "What ringwould you buy?" Jean told him: "I don't wear jewelry."Boyd persisted: "But, if you did wear jewelry, what ring would you buy?"So Jean pointed out one that contained her birth stone ruby.Boyd then asked her: "What watch would you buy?"Jean told him: "I don't wear watches."Again Boyd persisted: "If you did wear a watch, which one would you buy?"Jean then pointed to one just to "make him be quiet,"The next day, after Jean was leaving work at a restaurant, Boyd was therewith the ring and the watch. Seven months later, Boyd and Jean weremarried on January 1, 1964.This January would have been their 50th anniversary.Jean always wondered why Boyd worked so fast, and just last month sheasked him, "Why would you get me a ring and a watch a day after you metme?" Boyd said: "I knew you were the one and I didn't want to lose you."They eventually had four children: Kevin, Scott, Stephanie and JoAnne and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Jean would joke with Boyd each Father's Day:" One of these four is actually yours." The family had a lot of fun guessing each year. Boyd came to Alaska in 1972, after transferring from his job at Japan Airlines, in Hawaii. While in Anchorage, he changed careers and went to work with U.S. Customs in 1974. Meanwhile, Jean was having a hard time with the winters. She was homesick for Hawaii and realized later that she was suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder. Jean told Boyd she couldn't take another winter in Anchorage. She asked Boyd, "Who would move from paradise in Hawaii to Alaska?" Then, in 1976, Boyd came to Skagway on temporary assignment for U.S. Customs. He met locals such as Bea Lingle, Kurt Kosters, Charlotte Jewell, Lainey Papageorge and Debbie Mahle. Boyd told Jean how nice and friendly everyone was."I found paradise for you, we're moving to Skagway!" he said.They moved here permanently in September 1976 and Skagway has never been the same, thank God!

A big Boyd Thank you to our friends in Juneau, Hoonah, Sitka, Ketchikan and Yakutat for the gifts of flowers and kind words and the kind words of comfort during our time of great sadness and loss. Please keep Boyd in your hearts and prayers."That Part of a good man's life, his little known acts of kindness and love."